The Two Healthy Thanksgiving Sides I’m Always Asked to Bring
Every Thanksgiving, someone asks me the same question…”Are you bringing the goods? You know the stuffing and sweet potato goodness?”
Yes. And the sweet potato casserole too.
These two are my mainstays. People expect them from me, and I’m pretty sure I’d get a look if I showed up without them. What cracks me up is that both are gluten free and made with whole food ingredients, and the kids still go back for seconds. So do the adults who swear they don’t like “healthy” food.
I didn’t create either recipe, so here’s where I found them. Both are worth saving.
The Paleo Cornbread Stuffing
This one is from Lisa Wells at Cook Eat Well. You can find her full recipe here.
It’s grain free and still tastes like the stuffing you grew up with, with pecans, herbs and that slightly sweet cornbread flavor. It’s not a substitute you have to be polite about. One heads up: it’s built on her own paleo cornbread, which you bake first. She suggests making the cornbread the day before so it dries out overnight. Highly recommend using the cashew milk she calls for as it has a sweeter cornbread type taste and works well for this recipe!
The sweet potato casserole with THE BEST topping
This one is from Jessica DeMay at Real Food with Jessica. The full recipe is here.
The pecan topping is what everyone talks about. It’s crunchy and caramel-y, almost like candied pecans, and it’s sweetened with coconut sugar. It’s still a sweet side dish, and that’s the point. It’s Thanksgiving. It’s just lighter on the over-the-top sugar than the classic version. Jessica also notes you can prep the sweet potato layer ahead and add the topping right before baking, which is a gift on a busy day.
Why these two stay on my table:
I want holiday food to feel good, not stressful. Whole food ingredients make that easy, and I get to enjoy a big meal with my family without overthinking it. Your plate isn’t a report card, and these two dishes prove you don’t have to give up flavor to eat real food.
If you’re bringing something to your own table this year, make it something you’re excited to eat.
If the holidays always leave your digestion off…
If gatherings tend to leave you bloated, constipated or breaking out no matter what you eat, there’s usually more going on underneath. That’s what I work on in my 1:1 program, and I have a few spots left before the end of the year. You can apply or book a call here.
